Xuanya's Apology

Xuanya's Apology

"Please forgive my earlier offense, Senior Brother."

Seated at the front of the Large Gourd, Li Changshou kept a calm expression as he looked at Youqin Xuanya, who stood before him with clasped hands and lowered head. Though he dearly wanted to make a sarcastic remark, he could only say that it was nothing.

Li Changshou sensed that the gazes falling upon him no longer carried their earlier disdain and dissatisfaction. Instead, they were...

Filled with sympathy and pity.

"Changshou," Immortal Jiujiu coughed, then said earnestly, "This should be a heart demon. Perhaps it came from cultivating in the mountains in seclusion with your master for so many years."

"Senior Brother Changshou," Yuan Qing drifted over from the side with a bottle of pills and said quietly, "These are pills for clearing the mind and steadying the spirit. They may be of some help with Senior Brother's condition."

"Thank you. I appreciate the thought."

Li Changshou smiled somewhat awkwardly. Yuan Qing immediately understood something and skillfully changed the subject.

Taking the opportunity, Li Changshou also observed the others' reactions.

Yuwen Ling had paid no attention to this little farce from start to finish. He sat quietly with his eyes closed in meditation, utterly composed.

Liu Yan'er looked at him with added sympathy, while Wang Qi watched him with a gaze full of emotion.

They were probably thinking:

This senior brother—or junior brother—had ordinary cultivation aptitude and even suffered from such a heart demon. Finding a cultivation partner in the future would be a luxury. The life of cultivation was truly difficult.

—Cultivating as a bonded pair was fairly common in At Du Xian Sect.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yuan Qing retreated to the rear of the gourd. Wang Qi then took the initiative to come over and chat for a while.

Li Changshou merely responded with a smile throughout and said little else.

Aside from Yuan Qing, these fellow disciples who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to cultivation were unexpectedly simple-minded despite their 'advanced age'...

That made sense. These were all the top students among their peers. They spent most of their time cultivating and naturally had little social interaction.

This minor disturbance soon came to an end.

Before long, the gourd became quiet again. Everyone resumed meditating and cultivating, while Li Changshou picked up his scroll and continued reading it with great interest, his mood entirely unaffected.

Immortal Jiujiu sat cross-legged at the very front with her arms folded, deep in thought. She was considering how to help Li Changshou overcome his heart demon and return to a happy life of cultivation.

Could I use a woman's charms? Fight poison with poison?

The Wine Immortal lowered her head to glance at herself, then let out a strange, snickering laugh...

Li Changshou did not care much that she had suddenly assigned him another trait.

Though it was merely a temporary measure to avoid Martial Uncle Jiu examining his cultivation level and aptitude, he would have to remain mindful of this detail throughout the journey ahead.

Maintaining constant vigilance was hardly difficult for Li Changshou.

"Senior Brother Changshou," someone suddenly called from behind him. Li Changshou turned his head and saw Youqin Xuanya's face, full of apology.

Though Li Changshou really wanted to tell her, Please maintain the reserve and pride an icy beauty ought to have, he could only offer a slight smile, wave to indicate that she need not say more, then turn back to continue reading his scroll.

Youqin Xuanya pressed her lips together, the apology in her eyes never fading.

And Li Changshou's divine sense keenly caught Yuan Qing, who sat behind them with his eyes closed, slightly furrowing his brow...

Two days later.

The vast yet sparsely populated Eastern Continent of Divine Grace, with its many immortal sects, gradually fell behind them.

The Large Gourd flew through clouds and mist day and night without rest, finally arriving at the northwestern border of Eastern Continent of Divine Grace.

Li Changshou had not cultivated at all along the way. His attention remained fixed within a short distance around himself, while the edge of his vision often caught figures flying through the sky in flashes on the horizon.

Fortunately, they encountered no obstacles along the way.

Jiu Jiu stretched lazily as the Large Gourd began slowing down and descended toward the towering mountains below.

The Wine Immortal yawned and called to those behind her, "Stay sharp. We're about to enter the borders of Northern Continent of Julu.

Listen carefully, all of you!

Northern Continent of Julu is no pleasant place. You came here to gain experience, so don't risk your lives fighting over treasures or Spiritual Medicine.

Next, I'll take you to one of the entrances to Northern Continent of Julu. Remember this place. If you ever come here on your own, don't foolishly wander around everywhere."

The five disciples rose at once, clasped their hands toward Jiu Jiu, and replied in unison, "We will heed Martial Uncle's instruction."

"Good." Jiu Jiu nodded with satisfaction.

Liu Yan'er asked softly, "Martial Uncle... isn't Northern Continent of Julu one of the Four Great Continents? Why does it have entrances? Could it be that the Miasma here has formed a natural grand formation?"

Jiu Jiu curled her lip and said indifferently, "Who knows why? Explain it to her."

Yuan Qing smiled from the rear. "The Miasma of Northern Continent of Julu is not difficult for Qi Refiners in the Void Returning Realm, who have already formed an inner Cyclic Heaven, to resist.

The real trouble here is the poisonous insects and toxic plants spawned by the Miasma, as well as the ferocious and venomous beasts that appear everywhere. They are extremely difficult to deal with."

"That doesn't answer the question!"

Jiu Jiu rolled her eyes and snapped at Yuan Qing, "She asked why there are entrances. What kind of nonsense was that?"

Yuan Qing smiled awkwardly and could only clasp his hands.

"Because of the Demon Race," Yuwen Ling said in a low voice.

"Correct. It's because of the Demon Race. The big fellow general knows quite a bit too."

Jiu Jiu looked down and guided the Large Gourd toward a valley amid the mountains. Her expression turned serious as she said:

"The Human Race Destiny gathers in Southern Continent of Jambu, while Northern Continent of Julu is where the Wu Tribe was exiled.

In ancient times, when the heavens were about to collapse, several Saint Lords severed the four legs of a Primordial Great Profound Turtle here and made them into pillars supporting the sky.

The Xuan Turtle was filled with resentment and died in depression. Its enormous body and vast power became the Miasma of Northern Continent of Julu, which has not dispersed for countless years. Look northwest. Those are not rain clouds."

The group all looked northwest. By then, they had nearly descended into the mountains and could clearly see the rolling gray-black clouds on the horizon.

Boundless and endless.

Jiu Jiu continued:

"The Miasma gave rise to countless poisonous insects and toxic plants, making ordinary living creatures afraid to approach. It also became a place where many exotic flowers and strange fruits flourished. All kinds of ferocious and venomous beasts live within it. Even Celestial Immortals would not dare venture too deeply.

After the War of the Ancients, the surviving Wu Tribe members were exiled here. They went to the far north of Northern Continent of Julu, where snow and ice covered the land and there were fewer insects and beasts. They could barely survive there, but it is said that they are already nearing the brink of annihilation. They truly have it rough.

As for the Demon Race that hated the Wu Tribe, along with the Demon Race driven away by our Human Race Qi Refiners, they all gathered along the borders of Northern Continent of Julu.

Over time, this narrow region stretching hundreds of thousands of miles from east to west became the Demon Race's most important refuge."

After finishing her introduction, Jiu Jiu looked at the disciples' expressions and found that... aside from Li Changshou, all of them had begun to grow somewhat nervous.

Good effect. Time to press on.

Jiu Jiu gave a sinister chuckle and said in a low voice, "Look at these mountains all around us. Who knows how many great demons and ancient demons are hidden within them? Some are terrifyingly powerful and especially love eating Human Race Qi Refiners~"

The group immediately became even more vigilant. Li Changshou merely nodded calmly and continued looking down below.

Jiu Jiu suddenly found it boring. Pointing beneath the gourd, she continued expressionlessly:

"The town below was forcibly established by Human Race experts. It is one of the entry points into Northern Continent of Julu. For the past several thousand years, they have supposedly been under a truce with the Demon Race, though no one knows when fighting will break out again.

Once we enter the town, I'll take you to buy some Miasma-Averting Talismans and Detoxification Pills.

The sect has those as well, but I don't know which idiot made the rule that I have to bring you here to experience cultivator life and teach you how to barter.

Remember, do not fly recklessly above this town. Several experts are stationed here. Always maintain a Sense of Awe toward the strong. We'll land on that slope to the southeast and walk the rest of the way."

The five disciples clasped their hands and accepted the order, committing Immortal Jiujiu's warnings to heart.

This town lay within a valley. The cliffs on either side had been carved with numerous caves, and many plank roads and wooden buildings had been built there as well.

All manner of buildings filled the valley, making it look quite chaotic from afar.

There were grand and brightly lit halls, as well as towering pagodas, but most were wooden or earthen buildings. There was no overall planning, only narrow streets and alleys that were barely passable.

Of course, most Qi Refiners flew through the air and had no need to walk.

It was clear that quite a few cultivators traveled to Northern Continent of Julu. People came and went here, while Qi Refiners set up stalls atop many of the wooden buildings and earthen houses, selling countless herbs and precious materials produced in Northern Continent of Julu.

Most of those herbs and precious materials had something to do with poison.

Jiu Jiu was familiar with the place. She conjured a white cloud and took the five disciples and Yuwen Ling around half the town. After comparing goods at several stalls, she finally had them take out spirit stones and buy some affordable pills and talismans of good quality.

Hm? Why wasn't this fellow moving?

Jiu Jiu looked at Li Changshou, who had been standing behind her with his hands behind his back, and sighed inwardly. She casually flung a pouch over her shoulder, and it landed against Li Changshou's chest.

Such pouches were the simplest Storage magic treasure, generally used to store a fixed amount of spirit stones.

Jiu Jiu complained, "I knew your master didn't have much to give you. I really don't understand why he insists on guarding that tiny mountain peak...

Detoxification Pills and Miasma-Averting Talismans are necessities. Go buy them. You're a grown man, so quit dawdling!"

"Uh..." Li Changshou froze for a moment, then looked up at his plainly dressed martial uncle and revealed a gentle smile.

This was the kind of smile he only showed before his master and junior sister.

He was just about to explain that he had prepared everything in advance, but before he could speak, another delicate hand extended from beside him. It held a stack of yellow paper talismans and two plump Porcelain bottles.

It was the young woman carrying the Greatsword and wearing a fiery red dress.

Youqin Xuanya looked away and said in as calm a tone as she could manage:

"Consider it an apology to Senior Brother, for earlier..."

As she spoke, she flicked her fingers. With a deft burst of force, she sent the pills and talismans directly into Li Changshou's hands, then turned and walked toward a nearby stall as though nothing had happened.

Li Changshou found it somewhat amusing. He clasped his hands toward her retreating back but said nothing.

This icy beauty was absolutely a fraud.